The Observatoire des réalités familiales du Québec marks its tenth anniversary

A true model for scientific popularization, ORFQ celebrates a decade of accessible knowledge related to Quebec families.

MONTREAL, Nov. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - The Observatoire des réalités familiales du Québec (ORFQ), a space affiliated with the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and dedicated to disseminating current scientific knowledge, is marking its tenth year of existence.

With a mandate to popularize recent knowledge geared toward professional communities and the greater public, ORFQ disseminates research findings on Quebec families and on the related changes taking place.

The realities that ORFQ has shone a light on since its inception include blended families, adoption, work-family balance, conjugal violence, immigration, sexual and gender diversity, and the perinatal period.

A unique dissemination model in Quebec

The organization documents changing family realities in various formats and in a dynamic and accessible style, and it offers tools to communities of practice that work with families and develops programs and policies geared toward families. 

"ORFQ is not a traditional research entity: Rather, it is a space for dissemination. That means we draw on publications issued by all available research groups, universities and sources. There are no limits. This independence is a major strength," said Maude Pugliese, INRS Professor and ORFQ Director.

For that reason, ORFQ is at the forefront of popular science and regularly serves as a university teaching model.

A precursor for understudied realities

Since 2015, ORFQ has helped improve our understanding of little-known and understudied family and conjugal realities in Quebec through accessible scientific knowledge translation.

More specifically, ORFQ offered thematic dossiers on the realities specific to transgender and non-binary youth and their families, on work-family balance for parents with non-standard working hours, and on multiparenting in the context of recent family law reforms. 

"It's important to highlight all these contemporary family realities without exception so that we can come up with an accurate and informed picture of our society, which will help improve family services and, by extension, living conditions in Quebec," said Professor Pugliese.

The knowledge disseminated thus supports the actions of many actors specialized in family and conjugal issues. The entities concerned by ORFQ's university mission include workers, association members, staff with community organizations, public and para-public institutions, or ministries working in family welfare.

"In the years to come, ORFQ aims to step up its efforts to document and disseminate new knowledge on regional family realities, in all their diversity. In order to achieve this, we hope to forge closer ties with organizations throughout Quebec with a mind to clearly identifying needs in relation to knowledge and data," concluded Maude Pugliese.

Highlights

• More than 450 texts, infographic documents and other publications aimed at making scientific knowledge accessible.
• Close to 310,000 online article views between 2022 and 2025.
• Increase of 236% in the number of people using the ORFQ website between 2022 and 2025.
• Advisory committee made up of nine major family-sector organizations in Quebec.

About ORFQ

The Observatoire des réalités familiales du Québec (ORFQ) is a space dedicated to the dissemination of current scientific knowledge concerning families in Quebec. It consolidates the most recent research findings with the aim of documenting changes in the contemporary realities of Quebec families in the form of short popular science articles and infographic content made available to everyone. More than 450 articles on various subjects are available on its website.

INRS is an academic institution dedicated exclusively to graduate research and training across several strategic sectors in Quebec. Founded in 1969, its mission is to actively contribute to Quebec's economic, social, and cultural development. INRS ranks first in Quebec in research intensity. Its five interdisciplinary research and training centres, located in the city of Québec and in Montreal, Laval, Varennes, and Charlevoix, focus their efforts on the following strategic sectors: water, earth, and environment (Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre); energy, materials, and telecommunications (Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre); urbanization, culture, and society (Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre); health and biotechnology (Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre); and Ruralités durables (a centre currently under development). The INRS boasts a community of almost 1,500 members, including students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and staff.

SOURCE Institut National de la recherche scientifique (INRS)

For further information : Service des communications et des affaires publiques (Department of Communications and Public Affairs), Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), [email protected]